Red Steel 3: Showdown!
by Rabbitearsblog
Summary: Now that Red Steel knows everything about the alien invasion, he tries to go out of his way to prevent the aliens from overtaking the Earth! But first, he must confront not only Nigel Faust himself, but the X-Men and the Avengers!
1. Prologue

Red Steel #3: Showdown!

Prologue:

In the last story, Colossus takes on the secret identity "Red Steel" to not only protect the people of New York City from the alien invasions, but to also prevent himself from being seen by the Avengers and the law. Unfortunately, Red Steel will soon discover that there are many aliens that are trying to do harm to the city and one of the aliens that he encounters is called the "Skin-Ripper." The Skin-Ripper began causing mayhem in New York City when it started ripping off the skins of helpless victims and Colossus then realizes that he must stop this alien menace from killing anymore people. Red Steel then goes and fights the Skin-Ripper, but soon realizes that the Skin-Ripper is too powerful for him and he was having a tough time trying to defeat this alien. However, Jerome comes to Red Steel's rescue and helps him defeat the Skin-Ripper. But as the Skin-Ripper was lying on the ground dying, he then tells Red Steel and Jerome about the true plans of the alien invasion and that there is a mole that is helping the aliens get to Earth! After the defeat of the Skin-Ripper, there were news reports all over New York City that mentioned about how Jerome and Red Steel both defeated the Skin-Ripper and everyone starts to notice about Red Steel's existence. When Nigel Faust hears about Red Steel, he is outraged for he believes that Red Steel will ruin his secret plans. After talking with Commander Zoid, a mysterious alien commander from the Planet Gork, Nigel decides to take matters into his own hands in dealing with Red Steel. Meanwhile, the X-Men members at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning also saw the news reports about Red Steel and when they believed that Red Steel might be Colossus, they decided to go and find Red Steel quickly. Later on, Red Steel starts to become suspicious of Jerome, for he thinks that Jerome is keeping a huge secret from him. So Red Steel decides to confront Jerome in his secret headquarters to make him tell him about the alien invasion and what is the true motive behind it.


	2. Chapter 1: The Big Reveal!

Red Steel #3: Showdown!

Chapter 1: The Big Reveal!

"So, everything that you had told me…was it a lie or was it true?" asked Red Steel.

Jerome looked at Red Steel with a cool gaze on his face and said, "Everything I said about my life as a child was all true. I was responsible for the destruction of my home and killed all of the protesters who had shot my parents. It's true that I have been on the run from the law for many years. But what I didn't tell you was what happened to me after that incident."

Jerome then sat down on a chair near Red Steel and he started to explain the second part of his story:

"After I ran away from the scene, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life while avoiding the police. I tried to find a place to stay for the next few years since at the time, my closest relatives, who were my grandparents, both lived in North Carolina and I couldn't travel that far. So, I found this abandoned building near Central Park and for the next ten years, I lived there while getting food from kind strangers and wearing old blankets and discarded clothes to keep me warm."

Jerome slightly shuddered as he remembered the terrible life that he had lived years ago, in order to steer clear from the police. Jerome sighed quietly and then continued on with his story:

"I was barely surviving in the conditions that I was forced into; but then when I was seventeen years old, my life suddenly changed when this strange man mysteriously came to the abandoned building I was staying in. I was suspicious of this man since I thought that he was sent to the building to alert the police of my whereabouts. However, the man told me that he means me no harm and that he knows that I am a mutant and that I was involved in the murder of the protesters back at my old home. I started wondering to myself about how he even knew that I was a mutant or the fact that I was the one who murdered the protesters. The man told me that he saw the news reports and knew that the policemen were still after me, years after the incident. It turns out that this man worked at the Natural Resources Center and he needed a personal assistant to help him with his duties and he decided to offer me a job. In return, he promised that he would not reveal my true identity to the public and that I would be paid handsomely for my services. Ready to ditch the poor life I was living and stop being afraid about the police coming to arrest me, I agreed and began working for him for the past five years."

Red Steel looked at Jerome for a few moments as he let this information sink in and then said, "This man…you said that he worked at the natural resources center? He sounds suspiciously like…" Then Red Steel gasped and said, "No, it cannot be!"

"It is," said Jerome solemnly. "The man I started working for was none other than Nigel Faust. Once I started working for him, I started learning so much about Nigel's life. It turns out that Nigel had been working for the natural resources center ever since he was nineteen years old and was known as a prodigy in his family for his various accomplishments in the political world. At first, everything was going well as I learned so many things about handling Earth's natural resources. However, things started to get weird when there were news reports about many mutants disappearing from New York."

"Are you referring to M-Day when Scarlett Witch decimated the mutant race?" asked Red Steel.

"No, this was happening a year before M-Day. I tried asking Nigel about whether or not he knew anything about the disappearance of the mutants, but he acted like he didn't know what was going on and told me to forget about the disappearances. For awhile, I did indeed forget about the disappearances of the mutants until M-Day came and I started remembering about the mutants that disappeared earlier. I started running towards Nigel's office again, wanting to see if he remembered about the mutants' disappearances, but the moment I reached his office, I saw this strange blue guy talking to Nigel. I was curious about this mysterious person that Nigel was talking too and I tried to stay out of sight, but I accidentally tripped by the door and that's when Nigel and the blue guy saw me."

"Sounds like my first attempt at sneaking up on Nigel also," commented Red Steel.

"You tried to sneak up on Nigel?" asked Jerome.

"Da, and it was not as successful as I thought it would have been," said Red Steel.

"Join the club," said Jerome and then he continued his story:

"I tried to get away as fast as I could, but then Nigel quickly caught me by the neck and dragged me away from his office. He then slammed me against the wall and he started threatening me, saying that if I revealed what I had just saw, he would make sure that my job with him is "terminated." It didn't take a genius to figure out the "double" meaning of that sentence and after I agreed with him, he let me go and went back to his office. It was then that I knew that Nigel was up to no good and if I kept on working with him, I would either be killed or be caught up in something that I don't want to be involved in. I could have taken him down with my mutant powers, but I didn't want to cause a scene, especially after he hadn't revealed my identity to the public yet. So, I told him that I was going to quit the job to find another job and let me tell you, it did not go over too well. Nigel threatened that if he ever see me again, he was going to kill me on the spot, especially since he believes that I was going to be a threat to his "plans" after I saw him meeting with the blue guy."

"So, what did you do after that?" asked Red Steel.

"Luckily, I had a lot of money left over from my job, so I was able to set up a secret headquarters in this abandoned building and bought a computer mainframe to help me check out everything going on in New York City," said Jerome.

"So that is why you always ran off somewhere without warning," commented Red Steel.

"Yeah, I had little tracking device on my beeper that alerts me on alien activity so that way, I could go across New York and defeat the aliens. I also started using the computer mainframe to keep tabs on Nigel Faust's activities over the past few years. Ever since he went ballistic on me when I saw him talking with the blue guy, I decided to spy on him a bit to see what his true plans were and what it would mean for the citizens of New York City."

"Did you ever found out anything about his plans?" asked Red Steel.

"Only that he was still communicating with the blue aliens. About what, I'm still in the dark about that," said Jerome.

Red Steel looked down at the floor for a few moments and then asked, "But, why did you not tell me about all this before?"

"Well, you are a fugitive, right? Not only are the police after you, but the Avengers are too and I had to keep everything I did a secret so that way Nigel wouldn't find out about me spying on him. Even if that meant keeping this secret from you in the process," said Jerome.

"Oh, I understand now. So, what made you decide to tell me all this?" asked Red Steel.

"Well, apart from you coming into my headquarters like Darth Vader, I figure I could trust you. You seem like a really good person and we are both in a situation where we did bad things in the past, but are trying to make up for it," said Jerome in a reassured tone.

Red Steel looked at Jerome with appreciation and said quietly, "Thank you, Jerome."

"No problem," said Jerome.

Suddenly, there were sounds of explosions outside of the headquarters and Jerome and Red Steel looked at each other worriedly.

"More aliens?" asked Red Steel.

"Seems like it, but it sounds…different than before…" said Jerome quietly.

"What do you mean?" asked Red Steel.

"It sounds like there are people trying to fight the aliens," said Jerome.

"Could it be the Avengers?" asked Red Steel worriedly.

"I don't know, but we got to check it out! Just stay low behind me until we can see who it is," said Jerome.

So Jerome and Red Steel sneaked quietly out of Jerome's headquarters to see what was going on. What they saw was a tragedy beyond anything they could have ever imagined.

The aliens were not only torturing the civilians, but the city was in shatters as the buildings were being destroyed and bombs were going off everywhere.

"Oh my god! The aliens are really tearing this city apart!" yelled Jerome.

"We must stop them right now!" yelled Red Steel as he started running towards the aliens. But just as he got close enough, he saw several figures fighting off the aliens and he immediately recognized them.

"Oh no…it cannot be!" said Red Steel breathlessly.

"What! What is it?" asked Jerome.

Red Steel just pointed at the figures fighting the aliens and said with a pained expression on his face, "It is the X-Men! They are here!"


	3. Chapter 2: Confrontation!

**Chapter 2: Confrontation!**

"What? The X-Men are here?" asked Jerome uncertainly.

"Yes, and it appears that I had signed my death certificate," said Red Steel.

As Red Steel stood there, he can slowly feel his heart breaking as he saw his former teammates fighting off the aliens. Wolverine was as usual, slashing away at the aliens with his admantium claws. Iceman was blasting the aliens with his ice powers while freezing them. Beast was ripping through the aliens' bodies with feral fury and Storm was shooting lightning bolts down at the aliens. But the last person that Red Steel expected to see was Kitty Pryde, his one true love (or at least used to be his one true love). What would he say to the X-Men now that he is a fugitive? Would they even turn him in because he's a wanted man or would they forget everything that just happened and let him go?

Not likely.

Jerome then quickly ran up to Red Steel and shook him gently while saying, "Come on, Peter. Pull yourself together! Listen, I know that you're in shock about seeing the X-Men here, but there are innocent people in danger of being killed. If you want to prove to everyone that you are still the same Colossus that was a true hero, then now is the time to do it!"

Red Steel was silent for a few minutes and then said, "I do not know…"

Suddenly, he saw an alien hovering over the very spot where Kitty Pryde was fighting another alien. Even though Kitty was doing a fine job of fighting off the aliens as she phased through them and then punched them from behind, there was no way she could see the alien above her while she was fighting.

"Oh no! Katya!" At that moment, Red Steel didn't care if he was trying to stay low or not, all he cared about was reaching Kitty before the alien got to her. Red Steel started running towards Kitty and then he quickly jumped over her and grabbed the alien by the neck. Kitty ducked quickly as this mysterious man in red jumped over her and looked on in shock as she saw the red suited man snap the alien's neck in two.

As Red Steel threw the alien's body to the ground, Kitty took a closer look at him and whispered in disbelief, "Peter?"

Red Steel then froze as he heard Kitty's voice, not sure about what to say to her. He then cleared his throat and told her, "I am not Piotr, I am Red Steel, the savior of…"

"It really is you! I mean, who else would have a steel body and is able to snap anyone's neck in two with his bare hands?" exclaimed Kitty.

Red Steel looked a bit embarrassed for a moment and then said, "Well, you are still as perceptive as you have always been, Katya."

"Yeah. So, you're Red Steel now, huh?" Kitty said quietly.

"Well, yes. I guess you could say that I am. Katya, I want to talk to you about…what happened at the school…" Red Steel started.

"Kitty!" several voices cried out at once and Red Steel looked on with a shock expression on his face as the other X-Men came running towards him and Kitty.

"Peter! Is that really you?" asked Bobby as he and the others approached him.

"I…ah…" Red Steel then sighed sadly and said, "Yes, it is me. For the moment, I am known as Red Steel, but that probably does not matter at this moment. You have all found me, so I guess I will be turned over to the Avengers for my crimes against humanity."

The X-Men all looked at each other uncomfortably and then Bobby said, "Yeah, well, you can't really be blamed for this. I mean, it was the Phoenix Force that took over…"

"But it is more than that!" Red Steel broke in. "I know that we were never intended to be the hosts of the Phoenix Force, but we should have known that the Phoenix Force is not easy to control! Even I knew about the dangers of using the Phoenix Force, especially…after what happened to Jean Grey…"

"You mean when she turned into the Dark Phoenix?" asked Kitty.

"You and Bobby weren't there when it happened, Pumpkin. But it did put a hurting on us…physically and emotionally," said Logan.

"So we heard," said Bobby.

"Peter, we remembered what happened that day and it had affected us all. But in knowing about what happened to Jean Grey when the Dark Phoenix took over her, it would be most difficult to just forget about what the Phoenix Force does to its hosts. We are just sorry that you had to go through this ordeal," said Ororo softly.

"Ororo's right. I know that we haven't really been…close to each other ever since M-Day started, but we should have never forgotten about our friendship with each other," said Hank helpfully.

"You…all still forgive me, even after what has happened?" said Red Steel surprised. "I…do not know what to…"

"Hold it right there!" a voice boomed across the street. The X-Men, Red Steel and Jerome turned towards the voice and saw the Avengers running towards the aliens with Captain America yelling out "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

The Avengers then started attacking the aliens using their fighting techniques to their full extent. Black Widow started using her karate moves to punch out the aliens, Iron Man used his laser beam guns to shoot down the aliens, and Captain America used his shield to ward off the aliens' attacks.

"So, the Avengers finally showed up," said Logan.

"Oh no!" said Red Steel. "I must get away from here!"

"Wait Peter! You can't leave just yet!" said Hank.

"You do not understand! I am a fugitive! If they catch me, they will…" Red Steel started to say, but was suddenly interrupted by a low humming noise from the sky.

"What is that noise?" asked Ororo.

Suddenly, a mysterious airship landed on the ground and once the door opened, Nigel Faust rushed out of the ship and shouted into his speaker:

"RED STEEL AND JEROME! GIVE YOURSELVES UP AT THIS MOMENT OR ELSE, I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO USE FORCEFUL ACTION TO MAKE YOU SURRENDER!"

"Red Steel?" wondered Captain America. "Is he the new hero that the news reports have been talking about?"

"I don't know, but if he is, this Nigel guy is not happy about his existence," said Iron Man.

"Watch out! Nigel's up to something!" yelled Jerome.

Before anyone had a clue what Jerome was yelling about, a purple gas started coming out of Nigel's ship and started engulfing everyone.

"What the…?!" exclaimed Bobby as he suddenly felt sleepy.

Then all at once, the X-Men, the Avengers, Red Steel and Jerome all fell down to the ground, knocked out by the gas.

Since Nigel and his guards were wearing masks to protect themselves from the gas, they were not affected. Nigel then told his guards, "Bring forth Red Steel and Jerome to the ship and dump the Avengers and the X-Men somewhere where they cannot get to my headquarters."

Two of Nigel's largest guards then went over and picked up Red Steel and Jerome while the rest of Nigel's guards picked up the Avengers and the X-Men and took them away from the area.

Then Nigel got into his airship and flew away with the unconscious Red Steel and Jerome.


	4. Chapter 3: The Truth about Nigel Faust

**Chapter 3: The Truth about Nigel Faust**

As soon as Nigel's airship landed at his headquarters and Nigel and his guards got out of the airship, they immediately ran to Nigel's office and dumped Red Steel and Jerome on the floor. Nigel then walked over to his desk and grabbed a glass of water that was sitting on there. He then dumped the water on Red Steel and Jerome causing them to wake up. As the two friends began sputtering out the water, they then slowly began to raise their heads up to see where they are.

"Awake now?" asked Nigel coolly.

Jerome coughed a few times and then said, "Yeah, your so-called wake up call really was so comforting to us."

Nigel just smiled coldly and said, "It's so "gushingly" good to have you two here."

"What do you want from us?" asked Red Steel through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I want nothing more than to "eliminate" anyone who gets in the way of me accomplishing my plans. Plans that I had set up ever since the day I took in Jerome to work as my personal assistant… a decision I regretted greatly," muttered Nigel.

"So, what? You caught me now, so are you just going to gloat about how you outsmarted two of New York City's most popular saviors? Which I would be very interested in hearing about, by the way," Jerome said sarcastically.

"Touchy, touchy. Well, I might as well take this opportunity to gloat about my plans, since you two so-called "heroes" will not be around much longer to see them come to fruition," Nigel said coldly.

Nigel then took a deep breath and began his story, "Yes Jerome, you did see me talking to a blue guy that day. But, this was no ordinary "blue guy," oh no. This "guy" as you like to call him, was an alien commander who promised me the chance of world domination and he is known as Commander Zoid!"

"Commander Zoid?" asked Red Steel.

"Yes, Commander Zoid. You never heard of him since you are more concerned with the Shi'ar Empire and such, but he is apart of a great alien race called the Gorkian Race that pride themselves in being the most elite alien race in the universe! For many years, I had always believed that I was destined to rule Earth, but I knew that even though I was a prodigy in my field, I could never attain that level of power with wits alone. So one day, while I was conducting business deals with the Natural Resources Division, I received a call from a mysterious person and it turned out that this person was none other than Commander Zoid himself!

"Commander Zoid then proceeded to discuss matters with me concerning Earth and its citizens and about how I could change the world with his help. At first, I was skeptical about an alien contacting me on Earth, but since we also live in a world full of "mutants," I decided to suspend my disbelief and listen to what Commander Zoid had to say. It was then that Commander Zoid told me about how his warriors on the Planet Gork needed the Earth's natural resources to create powerful weapons that will make his army stronger and if I kept sending him Earth's natural resources, then he will reward me by making me the ruler of Earth!"

"So, what does that make you? An alien spy or something?" asked Jerome with scorn.

"Oh, but you are so far from the truth! You see, I am not an alien, but I am just like you and Red Steel here. Allow me to show you."

Nigel then slowly went to Jerome and suddenly grabbed him by his collar, lifted him up in the air and then placed his other hand on Jerome's chest. Nigel's hand then started to glow in an eerie blue color and Jerome started whimpering painfully as he felt his energy being taken away from him.

"I have the ability to take away life energies from any victim! It is unlike that "Rogue" woman that the X-Men have in their group as I not only become stronger as I steal people's energies away, but I can turn them into dust once I drained every last energy!" Nigel laughed wickedly.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" screamed Red Steel as he struggled to his feet.

But then Red Steel found himself being pulled by a strong energy force and he was thrown roughly to the floor.

"Oh, did I forget to mention about the energy field I had installed in my office? It can bring down anyone who tries to threaten me while I "play" with my victims," Nigel said as he continued sucking away at Jerome's life energy. "You see, I could have used it on you earlier Red Steel, if that's what you call yourself these days. Yes, I knew you were "Colossus" a long time ago, which was way I chased after you. Of course, I never would have expected you to put on a red cape and pretend you are the red version of "Batman." Oh, and by the way, I contacted Commander Zoid before I brought you two over here, so he and his alien army will be here any moment to destroy all the citizens of Earth! Goodbye, Red Steel."

Nigel then pulled a level beside him while still holding Jerome and the floor beneath Red Steel gave way and Red Steel began falling through the floor into a deep abyss.

"RED STEEL!" yelled Jerome, still struggling against Nigel's grip.

"Oh, don't worry about him. You and me got some "unfinished" business to attend to," said Nigel as he dropped Jerome to the ground.

Jerome started coughing a bit and then said with a strained voice, "Unfinished business?"

"Yes, it seems you were doing a little "spy" work right under my nose. I could have killed you by sucking all of your energy dry, but I want to fight you…TO THE DEATH!" Nigel yelled out.

Jerome then slowly stood up and then two daggers suddenly materialized out of his hands. Jerome then growled towards Nigel, "Bring it on then, punk!"

_Meanwhile…_

In an old junkyard off the coast of New York City, the Avengers and the X-Men were finally waking up after the effects of the gas wear off. Logan then got up, rubbed his aching head and said, "Man, what just happened?"

"I think that Nigel guy just hit us with some gas that knocked us out," said Bobby.

"Where's that "Red Steel" guy?" asked Iron Man.

"I don't know, but we got to go after him and Nigel before something terrible happens," said Captain America.

"Wait! Listen, about Red Steel," started Kitty.

"Yes?" asked Captain America.

"Cap, we gotta talk," said Logan.

_Meanwhile…_

Down in the sewers of New York City, Red Steel suddenly came up, gasping for air as he popped out of the water. He then began looking around the sewers, wondering how he got down here. Then he remembered that Nigel pulled a lever, which caused him to fall down into the sewers. But that was not all he remembered, Red Steel also realized that Nigel had just contacted the alien army and that they were coming to Earth in a few moments!

It was then that Red Steel realized that he must somehow stop Nigel's tyranny from coming true and he started running through the sewers. When Red Steel finally found an opening that was covered by a steel bar manhole at the top of the sewers, he then said to himself:

"All right Nigel, you have made yourself known in this world…NOW IT'S MY TURN!"


	5. Chapter 4: Showdown!

**Chapter 4: Showdown!**

"What? "Red Steel" is really Colossus?" said Captain America surprised.

"Yes, he is," said Ororo.

Captain America looked down for a moment and then said, "Look, I know how close you all were to Colossus, but we have our responsibilities to perform and we have to take him in since he was one of the Phoenix Five responsible for the near destruction of the entire world!"

Kitty then looked at Captain America and said angrily, "Responsibility?! Colossus was "possessed" by the Phoenix! How could he or the others actually control those powers? And besides, how would you feel if your good friend was possessed by a force that can barely be controlled?"

"Shadowcat is right! Many years ago, we had to see one of our dearest friends, Jean Grey, be possessed by the Phoenix Force. We tried to save her, but she ended up giving up her own life to save the world when the Phoenix became too unstable. We may had lost one friend to the Phoenix Force, but we are not going to lose another one this time!" said Ororo with determination in her voice.

"And you know that I will be there for my buddy, no matter what!" said Bobby.

"You want to get to Colossus, you have get through us," said Logan, sheathing his claws.

The Avengers just looked at the X-Men and Iron Man said, "Well Cap, what it's going to be? Either we take in Colossus or we have to deal with some really mad mutants who are ready to take us down (again) if we do take him in."

"And what about the situation with Nigel? Why would he feel the need to gas us and take away Colossus and the other person?" said Black Widow.

Captain America then looked at Black Widow and said, "You're right, Natasha. It's strange that Nigel would kidnap those two. It's like he has some sort of ulterior motive of some sorts." He then looked at the X-Men and said, "Alright, since Colossus is somehow involved in this problem, we'll drop the "Phoenix" situation with him for now. Right now, we got to get back to Nigel's headquarters and see what he is planning. Will you work with us to stop him until then?"

"Sure, anything to protect our friend and all of humanity from whatever alien force hits us at the moment," said Bobby.

"So where did this Nigel guy go with Colossus and that guy?" asked Logan.

"Nigel has a headquarters located somewhere in the center of New York. But it would be hard to get back to the center of New York City without a clear way to guide us through," said Captain America.

"Leave that to me! I do have a tracking device in my armor, you know," said Iron Man.

"As do I, except it's a nifty gadget that I had lying around and decided to bring with us before we left the school," said Hank.

"It figures you two would have a tracking device on you," remarked Kitty.

"My thoughts exactly," said Black Widow.

"Alright, now we can go to Nigel's headquarters and get Colossus back!" said Ororo.

And so, the X-Men and the Avengers unite with each other to not only save a dear friend of the X-Men's, but to save all of humanity from whatever Nigel has planned for Earth!

_Meanwhile…_

At Nigel's headquarters, Nigel and Jerome were circling around each other as they were preparing to fight each other to the death. Nigel started cracking his knuckles, prepared to grab Jerome again and suck out his energy again, while Jerome started relaxing his muscles as he was prepared to throw his daggers at Nigel if he tries to take away his energy.

Jerome continued staring at Nigel as he said, "So Nigel, now that we are settling this matter once and for all, I just want to know one thing. Were you responsible for the disappearances of the mutants, years before M-Day got started up?"

"Well, I guess you could say that I had something to do with the disappearances of the mutants years ago. When I was discussing the plans about world domination with Commander Zoid, I was thinking to myself about how it would be nice to be the only mutant alive to control the world! Just think about it! For too long, mutants had been persecuted for just existing in this world! Once Commander Zoid is done with taking away most of the Earth's natural resources and giving me the power to rule the world, I will withhold the remainder of the Earth's natural resources and force all of humankind to bow down to me. Those petty humans will do absolutely anything to use the resources for their survival!" said Nigel with a dark tone in his voice.

"So you want to enslave humanity? What does that have to do with the mutants' disappearance?" asked Jerome.

"My, aren't we impatient today. Well, if you must know, not only did Commander Zoid's soldiers kill some of the mutants before M-Day, but I managed to get my hands on some unfortunate mutants," Nigel sneered.

"You mean…you monster! You sucked away at the other mutants' energies to get more powerful," said Jerome angrily.

"Yes, and it was a truly beautiful experience for me! Imagine the exhilaration I felt when the other mutants' energies flowed through me, while I heard their screams of terror! Commander Zoid may destroy the rest of the mutants once he arrives, but I will take great joy in gaining more energy from the remaining mutants who are left on this planet!" Nigel said with pride.

"So you're willing to kill your own kind just to be the ruler of this planet? What kind of psychopath are you?" asked Jerome distastefully.

"The best kind, my friend! Or should I say, my enemy?" said Nigel snidely.

"Enough talk! Let's end this!" said Jerome.

Jerome then ran towards Nigel with his daggers gleaming. He then jumped up into the air and was prepared to stab Nigel in the head, but Nigel grabs Jerome's arms and flings him across the office. Jerome hit the far side of the wall and falls to the ground, temporarily dizzied by the impact. Nigel then menacingly walks up to Jerome and stretched out his hand, prepared to suck out his energy. Suddenly, Jerome quickly jumps up and then slashes at Nigel's hands causing some blood to flow from the wound. Nigel roars in pain and then came charging towards Jerome, but Jerome jumps into the air again and flips over Nigel, quickly slashing at Nigel's back arms.

"Getting a little slow, aren't you Nigel?" taunted Jerome.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet!" screamed Nigel.

Nigel then lifted the desk behind him with one hand and threw it towards Jerome. Jerome then quickly jumped to the side as the desk smashed to pieces when it hit the wall. Jerome looked at Nigel in surprise as Nigel started bragging, "Remember when I said that the more energy I take away from people, the more powerful I become? Well, your little energy boost earlier gave me the power I need to become stronger and now I can easily take you down with both hands tied behind my back!"

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Let me see your little power upgrade!" said Jerome.

Nigel smiled wickedly and then proceeded to grab a large brass vase behind him and he threw it at Jerome, almost hitting him.

"Man, I better stop taunting people to give me all they got," said Jerome to himself as he avoided another heavy object being thrown at him.

_Down in the sewers…_

Red Steel was climbing towards the large manhole and finally reached the top. He then grabbed the large steel manhole with one hand and easily lifted it up and threw it aside the street. Then, he climbed out of the sewers and ended up on the streets of New York City. Red Steel looked around the street and said to himself, "I am in good luck! This street is near Nigel's building! Now, I just have to get inside the building somehow and defeat Nigel before it is too late!"

Red Steel then began running down the street and finally ended up at Nigel's building. Remembering how he got inside the last time, Red Steel started sneaking around the lower base of Nigel's building and started climbing up the stairs that would lead him to Nigel's office. Unfortunately, as soon as Red Steel came across an unknown hallway, he encountered Nigel's guards who were waiting for him. It turns out that there were over seventy guards guarding the hallway and they all had their guns pointed at Red Steel.

"Remain where you are! Nigel gave us orders that we should shoot down Red Steel if he tries to approach this building!" shouted one of the guards.

Red Steel looked at the guards and said, "Hmm…let me see. I am made out of steel, which makes my body indestructible to any gunshot and I also have the strength of a dozen rampaging elephants. So, I would say that the odds are in my favor, tovarisch."

"Oh yeah?" said the guard.

Suddenly, the guards started shooting out acid from their guns at Red Steel and Red Steel quickly jumped away from the acid.

"Luckily, the guns we have here are acid-poof, so the acid won't burn through these guns that easily! Your time is up, Red Steel!" said the guard.

"Acid! I did not expect that!" said Red Steel to himself. "Alright, I will have to defeat these men the hard way."

Red Steel then ran at the guards and as the guards started shooting acid from their guns, Red Steel jumped up and landed on two guards, crushing both of their arms. The two guards then yelled out in pain and Red Steel continued running on through the hallway, throwing every guard standing in the hallway to the side. Unfortunately, just as soon as Red Steel reached the end of the hallway, he found more guards standing there, pointing their guns at him.

Red Steel looked at the guards briefly and then he jumps high into the air and falls back to the ground, causing the ground to shake and the impact knocks the guards down to the ground. Red Steel then stood up and said to himself, "I really need to cut down on the borscht."

Red Steel then continued running down the hallway, trying to reach Nigel's office before it was too late.

_In Nigel's office…_

Nigel and Jerome continued fighting each other as Nigel was still throwing heavy objects at Jerome, while Jerome avoided being hit. Unfortunately, one of the vases that Nigel was throwing hits Jerome in the head, knocking him down to the ground. Nigel then quickly jumps from the other side of the office and lands on Jerome, grabbing his throat with his hands. Nigel then slowly began draining Jerome's energy from his body as he said wickedly, "Aha! Now I got you! Now, I will drain all the energy from your body until you become nothing but a lifeless piece of ash!"

"I DO NOT THINK SO, TOVARISCH!"

Red Steel then quickly ran into the room and rammed into Nigel, knocking him across the room and into the wall. Nigel was knocked out unconscious by the blow and slumped to the ground. Red Steel then ran towards Jerome and asked, "Are you alright, Jerome?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, although that's the second time I got my energy zapped out of me. It's a surprise that I'm still around to be talking like this! Nice move!" said Jerome.

"Thank you! I had managed to learn some new moves as an X-Man," said Red Steel.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a dozen footsteps thumping across the hallway and Red Steel and Jerome stood up quickly and they were prepared to take down anymore guards, until they caught a glimpse of the figures in the hallway.

The X-Men and the Avengers arrived at Nigel's office and as they ran inside, they suddenly stopped by the doorway, shocked to see Red Steel and Jerome standing there with Nigel's body slumped over at the far side of the wall.

"Well I'll be," started Captain America.

"They really did a number on Nigel there," said Iron Man.

"How…how did you all get here?" asked Red Steel.

"Well, aside from following the path of demolished guards around the headquarters, both Iron Man and Beast had tracking devices where they lead us right here at Nigel's headquarters," said Bobby.

"Wow," said Jerome.

"Well, it seems that you had taken care of everything here, Colossus," said Captain America.

Red Steel looked at Captain America in shock, but then said, "Uh, Captain, I know that I am a fugitive and everything, but there is an urgent matter at stake. Nigel had contacted the Gorkian Army and they are on their way to Earth to take away the Earth's natural resources. We must stop them!"

"Nigel had contacted an alien race to Earth? So, that's what Nigel was up to. Do you know where on Earth the alien army plans to land on?" asked Captain America.

"I think I have a good idea where," said Jerome. Jerome then started walking towards Nigel's overturned desk and looked through the desk drawer and he found some maps.

"According to these maps, it seems that Nigel told the alien army that the best place to land on Earth would be at New York Harbor," said Jerome.

"So, we must get to New York Harbor before the aliens arrive," declared Ororo.

"Let's take the Blackbird. It'll be much faster than traveling on ground," said Kitty.

"What do we do with this jerk?" asked Logan.

The X-Men and the Avengers looked at the unconscious form of Nigel Faust and Red Steel went up to Nigel's overturned desk and grabbed some ropes. Then, he started tying Nigel up to make sure that he would not escape, even after he woke up.

"There, he will not harm us now," said Red Steel.

"That's good. Alright, everyone! Let's get to New York Harbor, on the double!" said Captain America.

As the X-Men and the Avengers ran out of Nigel's office, no one noticed that Nigel was slowly waking up and that he was reaching for a knife that was lying on the floor beside him.


	6. Chapter 5: The Alien Invasion!

Chapter 5: The Alien Invasion!

Somewhere in space, near Earth's atmosphere…

"Soldiers of the Gorkian Army! We are now this close to accomplishing our goals! Once we obtain the natural resources from the Planet Earth to power this army, nothing will stop us from world domination of this pathetic planet!" cried Commander Zoid.

The Gorkian Army then raised their hands in an army salute and cheered in elation for they believed that Commander Zoid will lead them to victory in dominating the Planet Earth. The Gorkian Army, which consisted of over four-hundred members, were gathered inside a giant black and blue spaceship that was heading towards the Earth's atmosphere. Once the spaceship makes its landing in New York Harbor, the Gorkian Army will soon attack all of the earthlings inhabiting Earth and take over the planet. As the army prepared their weapons, Commander Zoid jumped off the podium where he gave his speech and started to prepare himself for the battle ahead. Commander Zoid then started thinking to himself about the deal he made with Nigel Faust, where he told Nigel that he could have full control of Planet Earth if he gave him the natural resources needed to power his army. However, after much thought, Commander Zoid decided that it was pointless in letting Nigel take over the Planet Earth since he knew that Nigel would do anything to become ruler of the planet and he had his own plans for Earth also. Once his army takes all of the Earth's natural resources, he will give Nigel Faust the reward that he justly deserves.

Meanwhile…

The X-Men and the Avengers were traveling at top speed inside the X-Men's Blackbird, trying to get to New York Harbor quickly before the alien army arrived.

"Wow! I'm impressed with the technology of this plane! No wonder you guys can get to the action so fast!" Iron Man said in awe.

"See? I told you it would be much faster to travel this way!" said Kitty proudly.

"It has been such awhile since I rode in the Blackbird that I almost forgot what it was like to ride in it," said Red Steel.

"I know," said Bobby.

"Look! Up ahead!" shouted Captain America.

Everyone on the Blackbird looked ahead and saw that the alien spaceship had finally gotten through the Earth's atmosphere and was landing on New York Harbor.

"Oh no! We got to get there quickly before they start attacking the people!" exclaimed Jerome.

"Hold on everyone!" said Hank as he steered the Blackbird towards New York Harbor at break-necking speed.

Meanwhile, the Gorkian Army's spaceship landed at New York Harbor and from inside the ship, Commander Zoid shouted to his army, "Now my soldiers! It is time to take this planet as our own! Gorkian Army, ATTACK!"

The Gorkian Army then ran out of the spaceship and into the streets of New York City, yelling out battle cries. As they neared the buildings, they came to an abrupt stop when a young woman suddenly phased out of the ground and said to them, "You know, you guys shouldn't be running towards this city yelling like maniacs. It's really annoying on the ears."

Kitty jumped into the air and then gave the alien in the front a swift kick to the head, knocking the alien unconscious. Then, she did a back flip, phased through the ground and phased back up through the ground, giving the next alien an uppercut. Even though the aliens were shocked at this display, they came to their senses and started shooting at Kitty, who phased herself to avoid the shots. The alien army continued running towards the city once more, only to be stopped by a steel man wearing a red costume. Red Steel then told the aliens in a booming voice that ranged throughout the streets, "I DO NOT THINK SO!"

Red Steel then ran towards the alien army and plowed straight through them, knocking each alien aside the street. As the aliens looked on with fright, they then noticed that the sky was darkening as a large jet plane came into view. Suddenly, the rest of the X-Men and the Avengers jumped out from the jet plane and landed on the street near the aliens, where they proceeded to attack the alien army head on. Captain America threw his shield towards the aliens, knocking them down one by one, while Iron Man started shooting his beam rays at the aliens, disintegrating them in an instant. Black Widow was shooting at the aliens hitting them in the heads and killing them, while Storm created windstorms to throw the aliens into the river. Iceman soared through the air and started shooting ice beams towards the aliens, freezing them in their places. Wolverine and Beast's attacks were the most brutal since they were cutting up the aliens' bodies with lethal accuracy. Wolverine used his claws to slash at the aliens, causing many aliens' body parts to be thrown around the street with purple blood gushing out everywhere. Beast meanwhile was ripping limbs off of the aliens, causing just as much bloody mayhem as Wolverine.

When Commander Zoid saw that his alien army was brutally being beaten by the X-Men and the Avengers, he yelled out in pure rage, "NO! NO! THIS CANNOT BE! HOW COULD MY ALIEN ARMY BE DEFEATED BY MERE EARTHLINGS?!"

"Beats me, buddy, but I guess they never went up against mutants and super beings before," said Jerome. Jerome was then running towards Commander Zoid while materializing daggers out of his hands, planning to finish the alien commander off. Commander Zoid then whipped out his plasma gun, but was quickly tackled down by Jerome, who then started slashing at Commander Zoid's face. Commander Zoid started screaming out in pain as gushes of purple blood sprayed out of his face and onto Jerome. However, Commander Zoid then reached for his gun and shot Jerome in the arm, causing Jerome to fall back with a pained yelp. As Jerome tried to get up, he was suddenly jumped on by Commander Zoid who started squeezing Jerome's throat in a painful manner.

Commander Zoid then said sadistically towards Jerome, "This is the end of the line, mutant!"

Commander Zoid then started squeezing Jerome's throat even harder causing Jerome to gasp out in pain. Just when Jerome thought that he was done for, Red Steel suddenly came barreling towards Commander Zoid and punched him hard in the face, causing Commander Zoid to fly three feet away from Jerome and crash into a building. Red Steel then checked on Jerome and said, "Jerome, are you alright?"

Jerome was gasping for breath before he answered, "I'm fine, although if you had come a moment later, I would have been nothing but a blue faced corpse by now."

Red Steel just smiled and then he heard the X-Men and the Avengers approaching them.

"Everything alright?" asked Kitty concerned.

"Sure, Red Steel just saved me from being throttled to death by Commander Zoid; although he gave me a good shot in the arm," said Jerome.

"Hmmm…we need to attend to this arm," said Beast. "I'm sure I got some bandages right…"

Just then, a loud crash came from one of the buildings and Jerome, Red Steel, the X-Men and the Avengers all turned their heads towards the sound in shock. Commander Zoid suddenly came out of the rubble and started breathing heavily as he stood to face the superheroes. He then started laughing manically and said in a loud and menacing voice, "FOOLS! YOU ARE ALL FOOLS! YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED MOST OF MY ARMY, BUT YOU HAVE NO HOPE OF EVER BEATING ME! I AM THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE UNIVERSE AND ONCE THAT STUPID NIGEL FAUST BRING ME THE NATURAL RESOURCES I REQUESTED, I WILL DISPOSE OF HIM JUST LIKE I WILL DISPOSE OF YOU…!?"

Commander Zoid then started choking and immediately fell to the ground, as a large knife was protruding from his back. It was then that the superheroes saw that Nigel Faust was standing over the dead body of Commander Zoid, breathing heavily. Nigel then spoke in a low and threatening voice, "So, this…idiotic alien think that he could trick me into giving him the Earth's natural resources and then destroy me in the process? Well, it seems that he was quite mistaken since he couldn't protect himself when I approached him. No matter, now that this alien scum is out of the picture, I will take his remaining alien army and use them to rule this planet! But first things first, I will require some "energy" to become more powerful than ever before!"

Nigel then jumped towards the superheroes, his hands spread out wide as he was prepared to steal some energy from them. But then, Jerome yelled out, "I DON'T THINK SO, LOSER!"

Jerome then quickly materialized a dagger out of his hand and then, using his good arm, he threw the dagger towards Nigel. Nigel then abruptly stopped in his tracks, as the dagger hit him in the throat and blood started to slowly dribble down his neck. Nigel then staggered around a bit and then fell down to the ground, dead as a cold corpse.

The X-Men and the Avengers looked on in shock as Jerome lowered down his hand and said, "I was hoping that it didn't have to come to that, but there was no other way to stop Nigel."

Wolverine just looked at Nigel's dead body and muttered, "Man, everyone's is getting stabbed in the back lately."

Meanwhile, the remaining alien army, which was only up to fifteen members left, looked on in shock as they not only saw their fellow alien members be slaughtered by the X-Men and the Avengers, but witnessed their powerful alien leader being killed by one mutant. The remaining alien members then realized that they were no match for the combined forces of the X-Men and the Avengers. So, they all ran back into the spaceship in fear and then the spaceship started taking off high into the air and then flew into warp speed towards space, never to be seen again.

"Well, it didn't take long for them to turn tail when the going got rough," commented Iron Man.

"Well, I suppose that everything has been taken care of now," said Storm.

"Not quite. There are still some things we have to take care of," said Captain America looking at Red Steel.

Everyone then looked at Red Steel, including Jerome, and Red Steel just looked at Captain America and said, "Yes, I suppose we do have some things that must be taken care of."


	7. Chapter 6: A Brand New Life

**Chapter 6: A Brand New Life**

_"Hello ladies and gentlemen! This is Sharon Whittner, once again reporting live from the Morning News! It seems that all is right in New York City as the terror of the alien attacks had come to an end! After the devastating effects of the attempted alien invasion two days ago, it seemed as if New York City would never fully recover from that nightmarish day again. However, the buildings and streets in New York City are currently being rebuild after that travesty, as many of the citizens are helping out in making New York a beautiful city once again! As for who saved New York City from the alien invasion, we have both the Avengers and the X-Men to thank for that! Without the combined efforts of these superhero teams, New York City would had faced a bigger devastation then it ever had before! We also would like to point out that despite the many casualties that was caused by the unexpected alien invasion; there were no reported deaths among the citizens during the invasion as an anonymous person made sure that the citizens made it to the safety of their homes before the invasion started. "_

Sharon Whittner then paused briefly as a tall man suddenly came to her and gave her more reports. Sharon Whittner then nodded and began reporting again:

_"This just in. It appears that there were two deaths during the alien invasion! The bodies that were identified during this invasion were none other than the alien leader who arranged the whole invasion and Representative of the Natural Resources Division, Nigel Faust! Authorities stated that judging by the knife wounds on both bodies, both Nigel and the alien leader were stabbed to death during the invasion. According to the evidence that the authorities had discovered, it appeared that Nigel Faust stabbed the alien leader when the leader's back was turned. As to whom stabbed Nigel Faust, the supposed knife that stabbed him in the throat had disappeared from Nigel's throat before it was looked over by authorities. Without the evidence of the knife to ensure who had committed the murder of Nigel Faust, authorities decided that mysterious circumstances had caused the downfall of Nigel Faust. On a related note, Red Steel was also shown among the X-Men and the Avengers, fighting alongside them during the alien invasion. Who is this mysterious red masked savior of New York City and what is his true identity? The world will probably never know. This is Sharon Whittner, reporting from the Morning News."_

_**Meanwhile…**_

In the streets of New York City, the citizens are busy cleaning up the mess caused by the alien invasion days ago. Among the citizens, Piotr Rasputin and Jerome Brown are also helping rebuild the buildings, as not only do they want to make sure that the citizens feel safe once more, but it is also apart of their new "duties" to the city.

"Man, the aliens really did a number on this city during the invasion!" exclaimed Jerome.

"Da, I know! There is so much to do around this city," commented Piotr.

"Well, it could have been worse. We could have been in jail by now if the Avengers hadn't convinced the police to lay off the punishments," said Jerome.

"I am still shocked about how the Avengers were willing to let everything we did in the past go by unnoticed. Although, I could now understand their reasons," said Piotr.

_**Two days ago…**_

"Not quite. There are still some things we have to take care of," said Captain America looking at Red Steel.

Everyone then looked at Red Steel, including Jerome, and Red Steel just looked at Captain America and said, "Yes, I suppose we do have some things that must be taken care of."

Captain America then faced Red Steel and said, "You are aware that there is an arrest warrant on you from what happened with the Phoenix Force situation?"

Red Steel briefly looked down and said, "Yes, I am aware of what happened and I am terribly sorry for the horrible things I had done, even though I was controlled by the Phoenix Force at the time."

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" asked Captain America.

Red Steel then looked at Captain America and said, "I knew the risks I took when I became Red Steel since the police would had arrested me if they had discovered my true identity. But, I wanted more than anything to redeem myself for my actions while under the influence of the Phoenix Force, even though I was not in full control when it had happened. In my heart, I will always be an X-Man, saving the world no matter what happens and even though I had done some terrible things during my life, I will still protect this world the best way I can," said Red Steel.

The other X-Men were amazed at Red Steel's touching speech and when they turned to look Red Steel, they smiled broadly at him. Even though Piotr had changed so much over the years due to bizarre circumstances, he was still the same kind-hearted man they had known and loved ever since they first met him.

The Avengers looked at Red Steel, briefly nodded their heads and then they turned towards Jerome, who was slowly getting up after Hank finished attending to his wounds. Captain America then spoke, "Jerome Brown, we had heard reports from the police that you were responsible for the deaths of many civilians many years ago. Is that correct?"

Jerome lowered his head and said, "Yeah, it's true. I was responsible for the deaths of many people years ago. So, I guess you could arrest me now, but there is one thing I want to point out before you do." Jerome took a deep breath and said, "Even though I had committed a terrible crime, I tried to wash the blood off my hands by trying to protect the people everyday of my life. I'm ashamed for what I did even though I was in pain when it had happened, but like Red Steel here, I wanted to redeem myself and prove that I can still save lives to make up for the lives that I took away years ago."

Captain America looked at both Red Steel and Jerome and said, "Well, it seems that you two have defended yourselves so well. And because of that, I'll convince the police to lower your punishment."

"WHAT!?" said Red Steel and Jerome both surprised.

Captain America just smiled and said, "Colossus, your friends told us about what happened to your friend Jean Grey when the Phoenix Force took over her body years ago. I know what it's like to lose someone you care about and for the Phoenix Force to turn the person you care about into a destructive force; it would be hard to deal with such a situation."

"Wow Cap, I didn't know you were a softie," commented Iron Man.

Captain America just glared softly at Iron Man, until Black Widow spoke up, "And not only that, but the fact that you two had redeemed yourselves for what had happened makes your efforts truly heroic. You should give yourselves some credit over that."

Colossus and Jerome just looked at each other and then said to the Avengers, "Thank you."

"And thank you all for helping us stop the alien invasion. However, since you two had committed crimes in the past, the law won't exactly let this go unnoticed. But, with your help, we might be able to convince the police that in helping us stop the alien invasion; your punishment should be lowered. Until next time," Captain America said and he and the Avengers walked away from the X-Men to go to the police station.

After the Avengers left, the X-Men then ran up to Colossus and started hugging him.

"Oh Peter! We're so glad that you didn't get arrested!" said Kitty happily.

"You…you are?" asked Piotr.

"Of course we are, buddy! We thought that we were going to lose our resident strong guy," said Bobby.

Piotr looked down on the ground and said quietly, "Thank you. Thank you all."

"So, you coming back to the X-Men or not?" asked Logan.

Piotr took off his red mask, looked up at the sky and said, "Well, now that I am no longer in danger of going to prison, I think I will come back. Besides, I have always wanted to be an art teacher!"

The other X-Men cheered and started congratulating Piotr. Jerome meanwhile, was still standing nearby, checking out the scene. He saw the love that the X-Men were giving Piotr, despite the fact that Piotr was one of the hosts of the Phoenix Force that caused destruction around the world. Jerome decided that he should leave them alone for awhile and said quietly to himself, "Well, I guess I'll be going then."

As Jerome was about to leave, Piotr saw him and he called out, "Jerome! Why not come and join us?"

Jerome looked back at the group and said, "Join you?"

"Hey, why not! You helped out Piotr when he really needed it," said Kitty brightly.

"And your powers are quite useful. It would be a great honor if you joined the X-Men," said Ororo.

Jerome just stood there, looking shocked and he said, "I…I don't know what to say. I guess I'll have to think about this."

"Take all the time you need," said Hank kindly.

_**Now…**_

"Losing loved ones is very difficult indeed. So much has happened over the years that I almost forgot about the day that Jean Grey sacrificed herself to save the world from the influence of the Dark Phoenix. It had truly affected us all since Jean Grey was a dear friend to us," Piotr said with tears in his eyes.

Jerome looked at Piotr and said, "I understand perfectly how that feels. Remember, I lost my parents when I was very young and it hurt me so much that I took the lives of many people to show that loss."

Piotr wiped away the tears from his eyes and then said, "Da, I am sorry for your loss. So, are you thinking about accepting the offer to become apart of the X-Men?"

"Well, I've been alone for so many years ever since the incident with my parents' deaths. It would be nice to be around people again. I guess that qualifies as a 'yes' in my book, once I tell them my answer myself," said Jerome happily.

Piotr then went up to Jerome and hugged him and said, "Well, let me be the first among the X-Men to welcome you into the group!"

"Umm…Peter? I can't breathe here," said Jerome gasping.

Piotr quickly released Jerome and said, "Oh, I am sorry! Sometimes I keep forgetting my own strength!"

"I know. So, how long do you think that we will be doing community service?" asked Jerome.

"Well, judging by the massive damage that was done by the alien invasion, I think that we will be doing community service for two weeks or more," said Piotr sadly.

"Great! Just great," said Jerome exasperated.

_**Four hours later…**_

At the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, everything was peaceful as the students went to their classes, eager to learn something new. Piotr Rasputin was among the students as he walked towards his classroom. After the events of the alien invasion, the X-Men wanted him to come back to the school since they needed an art teacher. Piotr easily accepted their offer, since it had been a long time when he last dealt with art. Piotr had always loved art and he remembered enjoying painting pictures of beautiful landscapes during his personal time. But when House of M happened, things had changed so drastically that he never had the time to paint to his heart's desire. Now, he could pursue his interest in art; only now, he is teaching his passion to the students, which is something he always wanted to do in life. As Piotr neared his classroom, he saw Kitty Pryde at the end of the hallway, standing by herself. Piotr then stopped abruptly, unsure of how he would approach her, not after what happened before, even though he barely had control of the Phoenix Force's actions. Kitty might not have shown her true feelings after the Avengers told them that Piotr's punishment was lowered, but he could tell that his actions as the host of the Phoenix Force had hurt her deeply.

For awhile, Piotr just stood there, but then he started to remember his adventures as Red Steel and how he had become a changed man during those days. It was then that Piotr realized that he can no longer run away from his problems and he must face them head on, no matter what the consequences will be. So, Piotr went up to Kitty and said, "Hello…Katya."

Kitty looked up from where she was standing and saw Piotr towering over her. Even though she had known Piotr for many years, she still looked in awe at Piotr's massive height. She said quietly, "Hello…Peter."

Piotr put his back towards the wall and crossed his arms across his chest. For a few minutes, Kitty and Piotr didn't say anything to each other. Then, they both said at the same time, "I just want to…" and then they both stopped abruptly and looked down at the ground.

Piotr then looked up and said, "I know that you are still upset with me. I am aware that it was the Phoenix Force that made me say all those horrible things to you, however, that is no excuse to treat you that way. So, I understand if you do not want to see me ever again."

Kitty then went up to Piotr and whacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow! Why did you do that?" asked Piotr rubbing the back of his head.

"Peter Rasputin! Of course I knew that the Phoenix Force was controlling you when we last talked with each other! Why would I not want to see you again?" asked Kitty annoyed.

Piotr looked at Kitty and then said, "Well, after everything that has happened, I thought that it would have been difficult for us to be in the same room together since everything keeps going wrong between us," said Piotr sadly.

Kitty just looked at Piotr and said softly, "Piotr, just because things weren't going well between us doesn't mean that I would be shallow enough to blame you for something that you had no control over. I was actually worried about you after what happened with the Phoenix Force."

Piotr looked down briefly and said, "Thank you Katya, for caring. It is just that things had been…difficult lately, what with the divide among our team. I want everyone to be friends again like old times, but it might be hard to accomplish that with the way things are."

"Oh Peter. Things might be difficult now, but we can get through this! We just have to do everything in our power to make sure that another divide won't happen to this team and that pursuing Professor Xavier's dream of peace for mutant kind is still important."

"The Professor…I still cannot believe that he is gone," said Piotr sadly.

"I know," said Kitty sadly.

Kitty and Piotr stood there for a few moments in silence and then Piotr said, "So, now that we have…broken up for the time being, do you think we should be friends for now?"

Kitty looked up and said, "Yeah, I think being friends would work out for the best for now, at least until we get this all sorted out."

Piotr smiled and then said, "I agree. Friends then?"

Kitty smiled and stuck her hand out while saying, "Friends."

The two X-Men then shook hands and they both started walking down the hallway together.

"So, Miss Headmistress, what is it like running this school?" asked Piotr jokily.

"Oh no, first Logan calls me that and now you? Well, I guess that can't be helped. Anyway, things are actually going pretty well! The students are surprisingly behaving, despite the fact that we have random aliens coming to attack the school," said Kitty.

"Aliens?" asked Piotr surprised.

"Yeah, things get weird here," said Kitty.

Piotr laughed deeply and while he was still talking to Kitty, he thought about how everything had changed so much over the years. Yes, it was stressful and despite the past crimes he had done as the host of the Phoenix Force and as the Avatar of the Cyttorak, he learned that he should always use his powers for good, not for bad and that he must be wiser in not letting anyone tell him how to use his powers. Becoming Red Steel had allowed Piotr to use his powers for good, even if all odds were against him and that was an experience that he will never forget.

Piotr thought about becoming Red Steel again since he really enjoyed being the masked crusader.

Will he become Red Steel again? Maybe, if any threat comes to harm the Planet Earth again! But for now, he is just happy being a teacher and being with his friends again.


End file.
